Week 13: The Society of Reluctant Dreamers

To be honest, it took me a while to figure out who the characters were and who was speaking. I must have read a good 2 to 3 chapters having no clue who the narrator was because the chapters with the italicized texts kind of threw me off. But when it finally clicked in my head, I gained a much clearer understanding of the storyline which made me come to the conclusion that this is probably one of my favorite books in this entire course.

Daniel is a journalist who travels quite a bit with a mission to find stories. He also dreams a lot and sees individuals in his dreams that he hasn’t met before. However, he remembers them so well, that he is able to really concentrate on the stars of the dreams he sees. In fact, I think this constant recollection of his dreams allows him to manifest them into a reality, thus explaining the camera that he finds floating his way. That was surely a life-changing moment for him for he finds the girl of his dreams in those pictures. Daniel’s character development is truly marvelous as he goes from saying “Every woman is a trap, that’s the truth of it,” to “I closed my eyes and the picture I saw was Moira,” (25, 168). It was beautiful to see him fall for this woman, not just for her beauty but for her thoughts, dreams, aspirations, and intellect. It truly fascinated him as they had their discussions on reversing the meaning of meaning and the effect that orchids have on reality. They just kept bouncing back and forth in their conversations which were so enjoyable and the author perfectly captures how Daniel’s responses keep on becoming more and more intentional with each interaction they have.

Hossi’s little excerpts of narration and journal entries also gave a glimpse into a different perspective on dreams, from the perspective of not a dreamer but of a featuring actor in other people’s dreams. It shaped his character more and more giving the readers a chance to connect with him emotionally as well. His therapist, Snowflake, said something which really stuck with me, it goes like this “If your dreams still make any sense after you’ve woken up, maybe that’s because you haven’t woken up yet,” (79). Ever since I was 14 years old, I have developed a habit of recording any weird dreams that I may have and I end up being completely baffled and shell-shocked that my brain can even come up with such strange dreams. Snowflake’s words give me much-needed reassurance :))

Hossi provided an example of a boy Sebastião either getting ripped away limb by limb or making him forget the sweet memories he has made as a child with his loved ones. He then asked a question: “So answer me this question: this man who has never been a boy, is this man still Sebastião?” (186).

So my question is basically stemming from that while taking the impact of the 21st centuries’ technological advancements into consideration. For example, how social media has played a role in giving individuals a way to express their identity on a more surface level, such as how they dress, act, look, and hold themselves. Do you agree or disagree with this? What makes you, YOU? Is it your appearance? Or your traits and qualities? Or your memories?

Also, Karinguiri is such a boss girl, loved her character :))